Government and the opposition appeared set for a showdown in Parliament’s Monsoon Session beginning tomorrow with the Congress pushing for a no-confidence motion while the BJP is likely to raise Rahul Gandhi’s reported statement that his party “is for Muslims” to corner it.

Worries remain if the impasse seen in the Budget session will carry over to this session with both the government and the opposition engaged in acrimonious exchanges in its run-up over a host of issues including religious polarisation, lynching incidents and banking scams. Opposition leaders today wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker that trends that emerged in the last session might prove lethal to the constitutional democracy if left unchecked.

At an all-party meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today sought cooperation of all political parties and asked them to ensure that it turns out to be a productive session. The Monsoon session will begin Wednesday and end on August 10. Addressing a meeting of leaders of various parties, the prime minister hoped that each one of them would raise issues of public importance in the larger interest of the country.

However, BJP sources asserted that they will not take lying down the opposition offensive and will thwart attempts to corner the Modi government over issues convenient to them.

The ruling party has been raising the pitch over Rahul Gandhi’s reported remarks, which have been denied by the Congress, that his party is for Muslims. It has accused the Congress of Muslim appeasement and practising divisive politics.

Congress on its part has accused Modi of pursuing divisive agenda to win elections after his governance “failure”.

Closing ranks, leaders of opposition parties in the Lok Sabha, including the Congress, CPI(M), Samajwadi Party, NCP, IUML, CPI, RJD and some other parties, wrote to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, accusing the BJP of denigrating rules and the Constitution which “lowered” the dignity of Parliament and the Chair.

Oppn to move no confidence motion: Opposition parties are set to back a no-confidence motion moved by Telugu Desam Party MP Srinivas Kesineni in the Lok Sabha.

Congress party also announced that it will bring a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that all Opposition parties have come to a consensus to move the vote of no-confidence against the council of ministers. “All Opposition parties have also come to a consensus to move a vote of no-confidence,” Kharge said.

A number of opposition parties had given notices for no confidence motion during the Budget session, but Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had rejected all of them. BJP MPs, in turn, issued appeals on social media to Congress president Rahul Gandhi to let the House function smoothly.